This invention is directed to fishing hooks in general and more in particular to an oscillatable treble hook with a minimized cross sectional area at the shank portion, having a trigger mechanism in the form of a collapsible weed guard.
Fishing devices with a plurality of oscillatable hooks are known as disclosed in Rossnan, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,205,607, 3,222,814, and 3,751,844. One of the disadvantages of these hooks is that they use a coil spring to provide the energy for the oscillating motion. The use of a coil spring on the shank or shanks of hooks makes the fishing device very cumbersome. One type of fishing lure is the "plastic worm" and the use of coil springs on the shanks of hooks make it very impractical to insert into a plastic worm with this type of device. The reason being that the bent ends of the oscillatable hooks protrude significantly and thereby tear the lure when it is inserted. Another problem is the possibility of dirt, grit, or other trash getting in between coil spring and shank thereby impeding the operation of the hook. Yet another problem is that because of the overall width needed for clearance of coil springs in relation to the shanks of the hooks, it is more likely to pick up grass and other vegatation when pulled through such areas when fishing, again making the device impractical. Still another disadvantage of the devices as disclosed in the aforementioned patents is that they utilize a tensioned weed guard for the purposes of keeping weeds from getting caught on the barbs of the hook and as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,751,844, to hold the barbs together until the time the fish strikes. The weed guard is formed so that it exerts substantial tension on the barbs when it is in the closed position, and it is not free to collapse or be displaced toward the shank portion of the treble hook. The disadvantage of this type of weed guard is that if a person is pulling the device through heavy weeds, there is a very good chance of it releasing the hooks too soon and becoming caught on the weeds. In that case one must retrieve the device or cut the line and loose the device. Another problem with that type of weed guard is that there are times when it will not release all of the hooks as intended, it may release only one or sometimes both, but in most cases, it will still apply pressure to the main hook next to the barb, so as to render the main hook useless. Because that type of weed guard is rigidly fastened to the shank of the main hook it can easily be damaged or bent out of shape on being struck by a fish, so as to make it ineffective for further use.